Emmett Bledsoe was not really one for believing in happenstance or coincidence. He didn't give himself up to a higher power or anything like that. He didn't like to read tarot cards or horoscopes or go to psychics, but he truly believed in his heart of hearts that there was some reason the universe gave him this beautiful creature sleeping next to him.

He took her in with every breath. Everything about her was amazing. The way she moved, the look she got when she was concentrating really hard on a painting she was trying to do, but most of all, the fact that she forgave him. It had been many years ago when he made the worst decision of his life, and in a moment of weakness, cheated on Bay with Simone Sinclair. He still shook his head when that painful memory came to him, and even though it had been what seemed like forever ago, he still found himself disgusted with what he did.

He remembered the painful months without Bay, without the love of his life, without his soul mate. Even though people around him told him maybe he should give up, that he was only seventeen, there would be someone else, he refused to listen to them. There simply was no one else. The wall to others may have seemed manipulative, but it wasn't. It was simply what he wanted for him and Bay; forgiveness and the promise of forever. Thankfully, he ended up getting both, but not without some lonely nights, and though he tried to put on a brave face, you know, all that male bravado, he doesn't forget that there were quite a few nights he cried himself to sleep thinking about what he lost and how he might never get it back.

But Bay was kind, Bay was forgiving. She came around. Even more amazing was how she knew even in the months after their reconciliation that Emmett's mistake was still haunting him. She would put her hand on his cheek in those moments when the guilt would plague him and he would question why she took him back and if it was even what he deserved, and she'd say "You need to stop blaming yourself. We're all imperfect. I love you, and that's all that counts."

He smiled thinking about Bay being unwavering in her love for him. That mistake he could hardly believe was thirteen years ago. He sometimes needed to pinch himself to realize yes, this is real; he did meet the girl he'd be with forever at sixteen. And yes, forever. Bay Kennish was his forever, and to all the people who said it wouldn't work, well, they were simply wrong. The golden band on his left hand proved it along with the inscription, found on both of their rings, "We are bigger."

He looked over at his beautiful wife sleeping next to him, laughing a bit at the paint left on her face and a bit on her arms, but that was really what he loved about her most. She was dedicated. Although sometimes she'd be a bit too dedicated, and Emmett would find her sleeping in her studio. But it was that dedication that led to some of her most amazing paintings, like the one hanging in their bedroom featuring two sets of hands entwined. And Emmett would probably never admit this to Bay, because come on, he had to keep some of his manhood, that his favorite part of the painting was the nameplate on the bottom. Bay Kennish Bledsoe.

It meant she was his.

He's not going to lie though. As amazing as their life together is, it's not perfect. They have had arguments, bad ones, but after you weather a storm as horrible as cheating, nothing seems as big. That was their big hurricane; the rest were thunderstorms, of course with some bad lightning, but being apart from each other those months years ago made them realize that the only way they can get through something is together. It made them appreciate each other more. Ironically, it made them stronger. It made them unbreakable.

There were times they rubbed each other the wrong way, but that's to be expected. They were both intense people and artists. Sometimes offering constructive criticism didn't end well. Sometimes they needed their space and when that happened Emmett would get on his motorcycle and Bay would retreat to her studio, but they would always come back to each other.

Bay never tried to force her ideals onto Emmett, and he respected the hell out of her for that. She also never tried to tell him she knew what it was like to be him. As much as they loved each other and knew each other inside out, there was a divide. He was deaf and she was hearing, and that was okay as long as they remembered they could still be amazing in spite of their different worlds. That's not to say they didn't try to bridge the gap. Bay was fluent now in ASL, but it's been thirteen years of being with him. It didn't happen overnight. And Emmett did continue speech therapy, although the times he spoke were rare, but Bay didn't care. She knew what his language was and he didn't need to speak for her to know that he cherished her, that she belonged to him, that without her he'd be a lonely shell, but that is probably because he told her that many, many times. It took a while for her to believe it because she wasn't used to being loved that intensely, especially after his little indiscretion. But he proved it to her time and time again, and it worked.

She came around.

She came around and forgave him and they were now a force to be reckoned with. There simply was no Bay without Emmett and no Emmett without Bay. That's just how it was. Their connection was visceral. They were bonded by an invisible cord. If he was scared or lonely, she felt it. If she was hurt, he felt it. Yes, people would think that is crazy, but it's true. A few years ago, Bay was in a really bad car accident. Emmett didn't need to get the text message to know something horrible had happened. He felt it. It overtook him, and the feeling was something he wished to never experience again. A few years before that, Bay was away at an art show when she got the same feeling. Turned out Emmett had gotten really sick with a high fever and needed to be hospitalized. She too never wanted that feeling again.

Feeling restless, Emmett got out of bed making sure to not wake Bay. He walked into the living room seeing one of their joint projects they did together. They did a lot of beautiful things together.

He turned and walked into a room, smiling at the blue paint on the walls, the same color that was left on Bay's face and hands. See, Bay was working on their newest project, the most beautiful thing they have made so far, the nursery for their son who would be coming in a few months.

Emmett smiled.

She came around, and because she came around, he got everything he had ever hoped for.

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